First-Move

First-Move

The name MOVE is an acronym that stands for “Munich Orbital Verification Experiment”.

Mission

After reaching orbit, the first Hauptpayload of the launcher and is ejected after the first CubeSats. Develop only after 15 minutes, the fold-out solar panels and antenna from the MOVE First, as called for in the minutes CubeSat standards, a dead time of 15 after the ejection is. Another 15 minutes later found the first attempt to get a contact with the ground station instead. At the first crossing of the ground station in Garching and thus the first contact with the satellite it is insofar as the received data to show that everything is working properly, put in the so-called nominal fashion. From now on, you can begin the experiment. In addition to the solar cells is to make verfizierenden aboard the First MOVE a small camera that transmits images of the Earth is.

As we posted on December 21st 2013, we are not receiving data beacons from First-MOVE anymore. In contrast to the nominal mode in which CW beacons and AX.25 beacons alternate every 60 seconds, we are now hearing only CW beacons every 60 seconds. After trying many different approaches to reset our on-board computer via telecommands we re-analyzed our current options again last week. This analysis resulted in the conclusion, that the on-board software has sustained irreparable damage. The fact that we are receiving CW beacons every 60 seconds indicates, that both the transceiver and the power supply are functioning properly. For the transceiver to return to the 60 second CW beacon mode, it has to be power cycled, since this mode cannot be activated by the on-board software. This means that there was definitively an interruption in the power supply. In case of an interruption, the computer should deactivate the 60 second CW beacon mode as the first task during the boot sequence. As this has obviously not happened, the only conclusion is, that the computer is not getting through the entire boot sequence, probably because it was damaged due to an erroneous write process on the memory chip. Since there is no way to upload new software to First-MOVE we see no possibility to continue the mission and perform the planned experiments. It seems that First-MOVE has become inactive after a very short lifetime. We will still receive the CW beacons, but we will not hear anything but his name.